Chapter 241: Teach The Big Demon King How To Chase Girls
Instinct told him… this was YS, the person Ning Xi once said was extremely dangerous, but she believed would never hurt her…
Lu Tingxiao looked at the man’s side profile for a very long time.A thought flashed through his head, but it was so quick that it was gone by the time he tried to catch hold of it.
What did he feel that… this person was somehow familiar?
Was it someone he knew…
"Lu Tingxiao, I’m almost done here! Are you done?" Ning Xi dragged a huge suitcase behind her, and turned her head to ask.
"Mm, done." Lu Tingxiao put the picture back without being noticed.
Ten minutes later, Ning Xi was standing downstairs with bags of different sizes.
Then, she finally understood why Lu Tingxiao was sure that all her things would fit.
A Lincoln limousine was parked outside quietly…
Ugh…
There was no humanity in the world…
Ning Xi hastily pulled down the brim of her cap, and as swiftly as possible, carefully stuffed all her things into the car, then quickly urged the driver to start the car.
Because things had happened so suddenly, she hadn’t had time to get changed, and if she was photographed now, it would absolutely make the news headlines!
Sister Zhizhi had already told her to keep a low profile during this period, since she had created a big enough buzz; if things continued like this, it would be easy to attract negative public opinion.
As if sensing her worry, Lu Tingxiao said, "Don’t worry, reporters recognize the car plates."
Meaning, they would in no way dare to mess with the car owner.
"Eh… ok…"She was thinking too much. The Big Demon King was always prepared.
On the way to her new apartment, Lu Tingxiao suddenly said her name: "Ning Xi."
Ning Xi raised her head from where she had been absent-mindedly lost in thought. "Ah? What is it?"
Supporting his head with one hand, Lu Tingxiao’s gaze was deep as he looked at her,"I seem to remember you saying before that if I wanted to chase a girl, you would teach me."
A bomb exploded in Ning Xi’s head. She cursed herself in a very quiet voice, then laughed awkwardly, "I… I said that? Surely not! Hehehe…"
"You did. And you even said you would make sure I learn the right tricks. On the day we went to your apartment to get your spices, you received two package deliveries. One of them was a birthday gift from your ex-boyfriend. You said that he was lame at chasing girls, and told me not to learn for him," Lu Tingxiao reminded her as he recited all the details.
Ning Xi wanted to slap herself so badly: watch your mouth! Why didn't you think before you speak! Digging your own grave!
"So… so there is a girl you want to chase now?" Ning Xi could only pretend to be thick-skinned and ask.
"Mm." Lu Tingxiao nodded. There were stars in his eyes, and he looked at Ning Xi as if she was the whole world. "So, teach me."
F***! Teach her butt!
You only need to use that expression to look at any random girl, and they will all come flying themselves! Why would you need to chase them?
No choice, she had said it herself, there was no use crying over spilled milk…
Ning Xi coughed lightly, and acted like she didn't know anything as she lectured: "There’s a popular online saying, if she is not worldly enough, take her to see the bustling world; if she is experienced, take her on a carousel. Meaning, give the prescription according to the symptoms! What type of girl is the one you like?"
"She…" Lu Tingxiao paused, like he was thinking about something, and after a while, the ice in his eyes melted, and he said with a tender smile on his face, "She knows the world but isn't worldly, she's a wild spirit but is kind and gentle, she has experienced so much, but has maintained her purity and innocence all this time… she is the most wonderful girl I have ever met!"
Chapter 242: Pull That Carrot Out
Knew the world but wasn't worldly…
A wild spirit but kind and gentle…
Experienced a lot, but maintained her purity and innocence all this time…
The most wonderful girl…
Aiyaya! The teenage girl inside this old madam!!!
Ning Xi clutched her chest, feeling like her crazily pounding heart was about to fall out.
Was there anyone who didn't like to hear compliments about themselves?
Not to mention, Lu Tingxiao had hit her in all the softest spots in her heart with his sincere and skilful words.
Wasn't Lu Tingxiao supposed to be above mere mortals, restrained and cold? It wasn’t logical that he was so good with words!
The Big Demon King was seriously waiting for her next move…
Ning Xi really wanted to give him three big kowtows and beg him to let her go!
You ultimate level, mighty big name, you still need me to guide you?
Ning Xi coughed slightly, and said heavily, "Lord Boss, the way I see it, with your inner and outer qualities and your levels of perception, you totally don't need me to teach you at all. If the other party still hasn’t fallen for you the way you are, then there is only one possibility."
Lu Tingxiao put his hand down and narrowed his eyes slightly. "What possibility?"
Ning Xi took a deep breath, and said decisively, "You are not her type!"
"Not her type…?"
A gust of freezing wind blew in from the north with these words…
Ning Xi swallowed, and fought to meet the Big Demon King’s gaze, which was like cold blades. She nodded with certainty. "Yes. To put it another way, some like carrots, some like cabbages, and those who like carrots won’t like cabbages, no matter how good they are!"
Lu Tingxiao tapped the armrest of his seat with one finger. After three seconds of silence, he said slowly, "What if I’m sure, I’m a carrot?"
Ning Xi: "…!!!"
F***!
What do you mean you’re sure you’re a carrot?
Are you so sure that this old woman likes you? How can you be so… so smart…
"Then… then maybe she has another carrot in mind? One carrot, one hole, that hole already has one carrot in it, of course it’s not easy for another carrot to get in!" Ning Xi twitched at her own metaphor, why the heck had she chosen to use "carrot", out of all things…
"Another carrot she likes…" Lu Tingxiao murmured, a glint in his eyes. "Who?"
Now, the freezing wind had become a tornado!!!
Ning Xi, who was in the center of it, felt there was no hope for her anymore. She pretended to look at the view outside the window, and said with an awkward laugh, "I’m not a fortune teller, how would I know! I think it’s better that you keep things as they are right now to be safe, otherwise what if the other party really likes someone else? When the time comes, and you can't even remain friends anymore, then what?"
Lu Tingxiao’s lips were pressed together, and his face looked like frost. He didn't say a word for a long time, and the air pressure inside the confines of the car was so low it was as if it was going to start hailing…
Just as Ning Xi felt that she could no breathe because of the pressure, Lu Tingxiao finally opened his mouth and said —
"Then… I will pull that carrot out."
Ning Xi: "…"
Pull… pull that carrot out!!!
Big brother, why do you have to use such scary words!
At first she had wanted to find a shield, but could it stop the Big Demon King’s hit? It couldn't even stop a strand of hair!
Pathetic, communication failed again…
Would only her ultimate move work? She hoped it wouldn’t come to that point…
Chapter 243: To Coax Girls
Ning Xi’s new place was on the seventh floor of the Regal Riveria Hotel. It was a three-bedroom apartment with a living room, decorated in a simple style and very comfortable. There was a beautiful view of the river from the balcony. Compared with her old, small apartment, the difference was like between heaven and earth.
She and Lu Tingxiao, plus the driver, took all her things up in three trips.
Looking at the bits and bobs in the apartment, Ning Xi wiped her sweat. "There’s one more bag, I’ll go get it!"
Lu Tingxiao nodded. "Mm, I’ll start organizing."
"Wait, I forgot something…"Ning Xi took out a rectangular gift box from one of the boxes.
"What is this?" Lu Tingxiao asked.
Ning Xi smiled mysteriously. "Use this to coax girls!"
Downstairs.
Ning Xi finally had the very last bag. When she walked into the lobby, she saw the young female receptionist sizing her up. When she saw that Ning Xi had noticed her, she immediately put her head back down and pretended to be busy.
The receptionist at the Regal Riveria had seen so many stars, and was used to it, but Ning Xi had become too popular recently, so suddenly seeing her had been a bit of a surprise, not to mention that she had come today with an especially mysterious man…
Ning Xi smiled easily at the young girl, then walked over to her.
The receptionist was astonished to see her walk over herself, then she screwed up her courage to say, "You’re Ning Xi, right?"
Ning Xi nodded. "Yes, I just moved in today."
Saying that, she gave her the black gift box. "Nice to meet you, this is a little gift for you, I hope we’ll get along well."
"Ah… this… I can’t accept this!"
"It’s okay, someone gave this to me, it didn't cost anything, please take it! You have beautiful lips, they will definitely look good on you!"
The young girl touched her lips and blushed. "Then… thank… thank you!"
"You’re welcome."
After Ning Xi left, the young girl opened the box to take a look, and was very pleasantly surprised.
It was actually twelve tubes of lipstick, all in different colors.
God! She loved this brand, but it was just too expensive for her to buy, and her boyfriend was too dumb to think of getting them for her, instead always giving her bizarre things. Sheet, was it so hard to get her one measly tube of lipstick!
She never expected that Ning Xi would be such a good person…
Even though she had gotten many gifts from stars, they were all given with an arrogant attitude, and some gave away things that they didn't want anymore, like it was charity.
Ning Xi was different, making her so happy with her gift! It was obvious with one look that the gift had been carefully prepared.
Most people looked down upon employees like her. Little did they know that given her job, she knew so many secrets…
At the elevator.
The elevator doors opened with a ding.
Outside the doors, Ning Xi got a clear look of the person inside, and she knitted her eyebrows together; she never expected to run into Chang Li here.
"Ning Xi…" Chang Li said in surprise, then addressed her as if she was a thief. "What are you doing here?"
Ning Xi rolled her eyes. "Is this your house? Are you the only person that can come here?"
Chang Li crossed her arms and looked down her nose at how she was covered from head to toe in dust. "Heh, even if this isn’t my house, it’s still not a place people like you can come to!"
Ning Xi walked past her to directly enter the elevator, and she pressed the button to shut the doors. "Well excuse me, I live here!"
Struck dumb, Chang Li was rooted to the spot as she watched the doors close with suspicion…
Chapter 244: Slapped In The Face
Ning Xi lived here?
Impossible!
But you needed a key card to get in and out, so how did she get in?
Chang Li muttered to herself as she walked.In the end, she gave in to her curiosity, and went to ask the receptionist.
"Xiao Fang, the girl who came in just now… that was Ning Xi, does she live here?" Chang Li asked.
Xiao Fang had both a polite and troubled expression on her face. "Miss Chang, that concerns the privacy of our residents, which we cannot disclose, you already know how strict management is!"
Chang Li slipped a gift card into her hand. "Little sister, do me a favor! I just want to know if she really lives here, it’s not a sensitive issue, and won’t affect you!"
Xiao Fang glanced disdainfully at the gift card as she thought in her heart: you always boss me around so arrogantly, and now that you want something from me, you know how to talk and act nice?
She wanted to give it back, but then changed her mind. Taking the card, she said, "Yes, she lives here, the information was registered with us around half a month ago."
Hearing this, Chang Li’s eyes lit up. "Who’s the owner?"
Seeing her expression, Xiao Fang knew instantly what she was thinking, and said, "It was registered under Glory World Entertainment; no doubt her company arranged accommodation for her!"
Chang Li blinked dumbly. "What? Are you sure?" She had thought she could catch Ning Xi out with this…
Xiao Fang said in a confident tone, "How can it be a mistake, that suite is the best one in the whole of Regal Riveria. It’s facing the river and the view is especially good. It had always been vacant, up until half a month ago, when Glory World staff brought workers in to redecorate the whole place, and wrote down her information on the registration form!"
"Got it, thanks…" Chang Li’s face was black as she left.
Sheet, was Glory World Entertainment insane? Actually giving a newbie like Ning Xi such good privileges!
She thought about her conversation with Ning Xi not too long ago, about how nice it had been of Starlight to arrange accommodation for her… this simply felt like she was slapping her own face…
Looks like she needed to keep an eye on Ning Xi, and figure out once and for all who the person supporting this slut was!
…
With Lu Tingxiao’s help, Ning Xi finished unpacking her things in half a day.
Looking at everything in their place and how organized things were, her mood brightened up.
She had been feeling that everything was surreal after signing with Glory World; now, looking at what would be her home for the near future, she finally felt reality start to creep back in.
Ning Xi gave Lu Tingxiao a new towel to wipe off his sweat, and thanked him, "I’m really grateful for your help today, how about I treat you to dinner?"
No matter what, Lu Tingxiao had been busy the whole day helping her move house, the least she could do was treat him to a meal.
"How about we stay in to eat?" Lu Tingxiao asked.
Ning Xi scratched her head. "Ah, but the gas hasn’t been connected yet in the kitchen, and there’s nothing here, I’m afraid I won’t be able to cook…"
"It’s fine, you don't need to do anything, today has been very tiring." Lu Tingxiao made a phone call and only said two words to the person on the other end: "Come in."
In the next second, the doorbell rang.
Ning Xi opened the door suspiciously, then jumped in shock.
People in uniform were standing neatly in two rows outside the door, each one of them holding a gourmet dish in their hands.
The young brother standing in front of them held a big bouquet of lilies.
Standing tall and straight, Lu Tingxiao walked over with strong, steady steps and took the flowers from that young brother, then turned to Ning Xi. "For you."
Chapter 245: Was This A Confession?
Seeing that big bunch of white lilies, Ning Xi blinked in a daze, and took it reflexively.
Then the waiters came in one after another to spread a tablecloth and put down candlesticks. Within five short minutes, they had set up an incomparably exquisite candlelight dinner. Bowing, the well-trained waiters then left.
So this was what Lu Tingxiao meant about staying in to eat.
She thought he meant to cook at home!
She was too na?ve!!!
Just now she had seen that the waiters’ uniforms were engraved with the words "Red Chamber". Red Chamber was the most famous private restaurant in B City’s aristocratic circle. It cooked for only one table every day, and reservations were lined up until next year.
This restaurant also had a rule that you couldn’t order any dishes — you ate whatever they cooked. It was this type of restaurant, yet Lu Tingxiao was actually able to get them to do take-outs…
Ning Xi looked at the flowers, and then looked at the candlelight dinner…
"These… aren’t these all the signs of a confession?" a small voice in Ning Xi’s head whispered fearfully.
Lu Tingxiao had deliberately sent Little Treasure away today, arranged these things in advance, and even asked her how to chase girls, which was a very leading question…
Was he really going to…
Why was it that the more she thought, the more she panicked?
The next second, her gaze landed on the little dessert stand next to the table. Er, there can’t possibly be an engagement ring hidden in the cake, right, cough, cough, cough…
Impossible! Impossible! Given Lu Tingxiao’s character, there was no way he would use a method that was so easy to guess!
"Don’t like the food?" Seeing that her complexion wasn’t good, Lu Tingxiao frowned slightly, and then picked up the phone. "I’ll have them remove these and bring other ones."
Ning Xi hurriedly waved her hands. "No need, no need! They’re all dishes I like! What I meant was… I should be the one treating you, how did it turn into you treating me!"
"It’s the same," Lu Tingxiao said indifferently. Then he pulled out the chair for her like a gentleman.
"Cough, thank you…" Ning Xi could only sit down.
She cautiously observed Lu Tingxiao, then realized a particular detail.
Today was not a work day, so accordingly he should be dressed in casual clothes. But today he was dressed up smartly, and had put on a bowtie for the first time!
After sitting down, Ning Xi realized in her absent-mindedness, she had forgotten that she was still holding the flowers in her arms, so she hurriedly looked for a vase to arrange them in.
"Like it?" asked Lu Tingxiao.
"What?" Ning Xi was taken aback.
"The lilies."
"Er, I like them very much…"
"Mm, I think lilies suit you very well."
Ning Xi: "…"
Was he talking about how the lily stood for "purity", or "a harmonious union lasting one hundred years"?
"Eat up." Lu Tingxiao passed her some food with his chopsticks.
"Uh huh… it’s fine, I’ll help myself!" To conceal her anxiety, Ning Xi began to wolf down her food.
When she ate until her stomach started to feel uncomfortable, she finally realized something was off. She had a half-eaten cake in one hand, and she knitted her brows as she looked at the man opposite her.
Lu Tingxiao hadn’t eaten very much, but he had opened a bottle of wine which he had been drinking by himself. The bottle looked like it was almost empty now…
"Lu Tingxiao, why are you just drinking wine, and so much of it! I didn’t see you eat very much, hmm… pu…"
Ning Xi still had had some cake in her mouth when she spoke, and while she was talking, she suddenly bit down on something hard, and hurriedly opened her mouth to spit it out.
"What the hell, what is this thing, my teeth are numb…"
With a ding, a sparkling ring… fell onto the white porcelain plate in front of her…
Chapter 246: A Deeper Kiss
Ning Xi goggled and stared at the ring on the plate, her eyes large as bulbs and her expression completely stunned.
F*** me!!!
Ning! Xi! You! Are! A! Crow! Mouth!
She had actually hit the nail on the head…
She had been on guard against him the whole time! She had always subconsciously thought that in chasing a girl, the Big Demon King would swoop in with one single brilliant move that would be impossible to guard against. How could she have expected such an… such an old-fashioned method!
And yet, the end result was still impossible for her to guard against.
Had the Big Demon King deliberately act the opposite of his normal behavior?
At this moment, what Ning Xi regretted the most was not swallowing the ring straightaway to destroy the evidence…
Beneath Ning Xi’s lifeless gaze, Lu Tingxiao finished the last of the wine. He put down the glass and looked at her with deep eyes: "I have been drinking because I’m nervous."
Ning Xi: "…" He was nervous? Who should actually be the nervous one!
Lu Tingxiao’s face changed from cold ice to tipsy mist, but his eyes, dark as the night, were clear and bright. His cool voice was like raindrops falling into a deep pool: "I have never done anything that I’m uncertain about, but this time, I did.
"This is probably the most impulsive thing I've ever done in my life, but I have no choice, and I have no room for regret.
"No matter whether I step forward or retreat, you have already decided to keep your distance from me. It's just the difference between doing it later or sooner.
"I have been planning this day from the first day I met you, and I’ve made countless plans. But you are becoming more and more afraid of me, and for you now, it seems that all those ways would only frighten you, so I chose the most traditional and gentlest method."
Ning Xi was speechless when she heard these few words: "…"
The gentlest method… thank you so much for being so considerate!
But I’m still freaking scared, okay!!!
Liu Tingxiao paused, then raised his head and continued speaking. "No matter what way I use, I’m not confident that I can fully move you. Though the plan today is already the most dependable one that I can think of, I calculated that it only has a seventeen percent chance of success."
Ning Xi: "Huh?" What seventeen percent? How the heck did he come up with this magical number?
"Uh, cough, cough, cough… that…"
Out of her wits, Ning Xi unconsciously reached for some wine. Discovering that Lu Tingxiao had finished it, she poured herself a full glass of fruit juice, and gulped it all down.
Ning Xi set the glass down with a bang, and finally found her voice —
"Lu Tingxiao, you’re practising how to profess your love for the girl you like, right? Mm, great, great, traditional and classic, low-key but not losing any of its meaning, the lines are sensational enough…"
Liu Tingxiao silently looked at the girl opposite him. He pushed his chair back slightly, stood up, stretched his long arm across the table, used his fingertips to pinch her chin, and in the next second, he leaned over to kiss her lips…
Ning Xi’s voice was abruptly cut off.
It was only three seconds later that she reacted, but Lu Tingxiao gripped the back of her head and kissed her more deeply…
The room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. There was only the sound of quick breathing, the sound of clothes rubbing against each other, and of lips and tongues tangled together. The temperature in the room rose quietly…
Some indeterminate time later, Lu Tingxiao finally broke the kiss. He slowly moved away from her lips, but his palms still cradled the nape of her neck, and he leaned his forehead against hers softly…
…
A ‘crow mouth’ is a doomsayer.
A ‘crow mouth’ is a doomsayer.
Chapter 247: Even Using A Honey Trap!
Ning Xi’s eyes were closed, her eyelashes flickering slightly, and when she spoke, her voice was a little hoarse. "Lu Tingxiao, why won’t you listen to your teacher?"
It hadn’t been that long ago that she had told him that he should maintain the status quo and not act rashly. In the end, he had turned the other way to directly profess his love and propose. This was simply the biggest trap…
"The teacher teaches the trade, but the apprentice’s skill is self-made," Lu Tingxiao could still say in a very reasonable tone.
"Teacher didn’t teach you to act indecently!"
"But this was the only way to let you know that the one I like is you, teacher."
"Then this is being insubordinate!"
"Then that must be because teacher is too cute…" Lu Tingxiao leaned his forehead against hers, and took hold of her slender fingers with his big palm to place them over his heart. At that moment, his clear, cold eyes burned like lava, and it was as if he was casting a spell on her with his persuasive tone. "Teacher, be with me, and everything that I have will be yours…"
"Stop talking!!!" Ning Xi’s brain was in a mess, especially when he called her teacher, which gave her a strange sense of shame…
She tried to cover her ears, but was still too late…
Lu Tingxiao said —"Little Treasure is also yours."
Ning Xi’s pupils suddenly contracted: "…!!!"
Liu Tingxiao quietly observed her reaction. When he saw her staring at him with big round eyes, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards slightly. His palms kneaded the sensitive flesh at her nape, as if he was teasing a kitten. "So what is the percentage now? Hmm?"
Ning Xi covered her face and subconsciously answered: "It’s already half and half…"
As soon as she said it, she really wanted to bite her tongue off. "Sheet! Lu Tingxiao, you’re too shameless! Even using Little Treasure!"
"Little Treasure is my natural advantage, how can you say I’m using him?"
"Then what do you say to using a honey trap on me?!!" Ning Xi was indignant at the injustice done to her. Even if she wanted to break free of Lu Tingxiao’s palms, which were keeping her where he wanted her, Lu Tingxiao wasn’t using any force to keep her in place, so no matter how she wanted to, she couldn’t bring herself to break out of his hold.
"Did I?" Lu Tingxiao sounded innocent.
"Okay, okay, okay. You didn’t use one, but it looked lewd to me, so it was lewd, alright! Mm… Lu… Tingxiao…" Ning Xi was angry, but halfway through, she suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Hm?"
Ning Xi paled and she clutched her stomach. "My… my stomach hurts…"
"What? Where does it hurt?" Lu Tingxiao’s face immediately became serious.
"Stomach, stomach! It really hurts! It’s getting more and more painful…" Sweat rolled down Ning Xi’s forehead.
"What's going on? You were perfectly alright, why do you suddenly have a stomachache? Was there something wrong with the food?"
Ning Xi coughed slightly. "Erm, it shouldn't be… I think… maybe I ate too much… just now after I drank a large glass of orange juice, I already felt there was something wrong with my stomach…"
Only at this moment did Lu Tingxiao realize that she had eaten almost all of the many dishes on the table, not to mention that she had drunk such a large glass of juice. Lu Tingxiao immediately got angry: "Ning Xi! Are you an idiot? You ate so much but you didn’t realize you were overdoing it?"
Ning Xi was angrier than he was: "Wasn’t that because of you! You scared me to the point that I kept eating to calm down! You finished all the wine by yourself, not leaving even one drop for me! So the only thing I could drink was orange juice! And you actually scold me for this!"
After saying that, she clutched her stomach and howled even more miserably.
Lu Tingxiao instantly stopped being angry, and hastily placated her. "It’s my fault… I’ll send you to the hospital right now!"
Chapter 248: Obviously A Prodigy
Hearing his words, Ning Xi looked embarrassed. "What? Let’s not, going to the hospital in the middle of the night because of overeating is too humiliating!"
"Is face more important than your body?" As he spoke, Lu Tingxiao grabbed his wallet and phone, then quickly lifted her by the waist.
Ning Xi immediately waved her hands. "Ergh… Lu Tingxiao… no… switch to a different position… maybe it’s better if you just help me walk slowly… this position makes me more uncomfortable…"
"You…" Lu Tingxiao was both angry and concerned, and could only put her down and carefully help her walk out.
When they reached the hospital’s emergency room, Ning Xi’s clothes and hair were wet with sweat.
Because Ning Xi had been clutching her stomach and Lu Tingxiao had an expression suggesting that the sky was about to collapse, a nurse immediately met them and gave Ning Xi a hand. "Is the baby coming? Quick! Get onto the stretcher!"
Ning Xi lifted the mask she had been wearing to avoid being recognized, and with black lines on her head, explained, "No… that’s not it, Sister Nurse! I overate!"
"…" The nurse was speechless for a second, then looked down at her stomach, and realized that it was only protruding a little, and in fact wasn’t like the stomach of a pregnant woman. "For stomach issues, please turn left!"
"Thank you!"
At midnight, after a period of torment, Ning Xi’s diagnosis finally came out.
She had acute gastritis caused by overeating and stress within a short period of time…
Lu Tingxiao touched the girl’s pale cheek as she lay in the hospital bed, his own face full of pain. "Does it still hurt?"
Ning Xi nodded bitterly. "Yes, but it’s not as bad as before… that, Lu Tingxiao, there’s one thing…"
"What is it? Tell me."
Ning Xi hesitated for a moment, then embarrassedly said, "Seems like the ring scraped and broke the skin on one side of my gum. I didn't feel anything earlier, but now it hurts a lot…"
Lu Tingxiao facepalmed, and didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. He ruffled her hair. "Wait for me. I’ll get you some medicine."
"Mm."
After Lu Tingxiao left, Ning Xi let out her a long breath of air, and then stroked her round stomach…
She never expected her stomach would work so hard during a critical moment!
But… the feeling of overeating was really uncomfortable! She never wanted to feel it for a second time in her whole life!
Before, there had been times when she had been too busy to eat, and as a result, had once also gotten a sudden acute case of gastritis at midnight…
The difference was that at that time, she couldn't get a taxi at midnight, so she rode her motorbike to the hospital herself, registered herself, got her medicine herself, and sat on a cold bench in the corridor with an IV drip by herself…
Lu Tingxiao came back quickly.
He sat down on the edge of the bed with the medicine, and opened the bottle and said seriously, "This medicine is topical. Open your mouth and I'll help you put it on your wound."
Ning Xi obediently opened her mouth, but her tongue accidentally touched it, and she frowned. "Bitter…"
"Endure it for a bit, don’t touch it."
"Oh."
After applying the medicine, Lu Tingxiao looked at her with gentle eyes and said softly, "Teacher…"
A little startled, Ning Xi was blank for a bit before she realized that he was calling her. "Ah?"
"I'm sorry…" Lu Tingxiao sighed softly with self-reproach, then took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. "Blame this student who has no skill, causing you to get hurt."
Ning Xi’s heart skipped a beat —
Damn… sixty percent… sixty-one… sixty-two… sixty-three… it continued increasing…
How is this no skill!
He was obviously a prodigy!!!
Chapter 249: Beauty Was Dangerous!
Ning Xi shook her head and quickly ended the dangerous and ambiguous "teacher-student" talk. She then switched to employee mode, raised her hand, and said primly…
"Boss, I would like to apply for a period of consideration without disturbances!"
After thinking about it, Lu Tingxiao agreed without reservation: "Granted, how many days do you want?"
Ning Xi counted with her fingers, then said weakly, "Um, can I count in years?"
"I’ll give you seven days." Lu Tingxiao ignored her unreasonable request and made the decision for her.
"Okay… seven days it is! Then, after I leave the hospital tomorrow, can I stay at my apartment for the time being? You just agreed, no disturbances! Little Treasure isn't home, and I need to be at the company the day after tomorrow, and the apartment’s a little closer to it!" Ning Xi did her best to give a legitimate reason.
"You can." Lu Tingxiao nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"…"Hah, that was it? When he suddenly stopped tripping her up, she was not used to it.
Ning Xi narrowed her eyes, a fox-like expression on her face. It seemed she had discovered the best way to deal with the Big Demon King’s tricks! To bet on her own health?
Was it because earlier, the doctor had said that she shouldn't put too much stress on herself?
Ai, this only worked because he cared for her too much…
When she thought this, the number in her heart shot up to eighty percent!
…
Next day.
Because her condition wasn’t serious, Ning Xi was discharged from the hospital in the morning.
As he promised, Lu Tingxiao sent her to her apartment, stopping by the supermarket on the way to buy things to fill up the fridge with, and ordered three meals every day for her, warning her repeatedly to watch what she ate.
Ning Xi sat on the sofa, watching Lu Tingxiao go back and forth busily. After checking the fridge, he still stood there trying to think if he had missed anything. Ning Xi couldn’t take it anymore, and coughed lightly. "Lu Tingxiao, no need to trouble yourself anymore, I can take care of myself!"
Lu Tingxiao turned and walked towards her. "Then I’m heading out."
Even as he said that, his face was still full of worry, as if she was a three-year-old kid who couldn’t do anything for herself at all.
Ning Xi struggled to keep the number inside her heart unchanged. "Mm."
"You sure you’re alright now?"
"Yes! Yes! My stomach isn't hurting at all anymore! My body recovers very fast!"
"Mm,that’s good." Lu Tingxiao’s eyes grew darker, and he nodded in satisfaction.
Ning Xi: "…" There was nothing wrong with what she’d said, but why did she feel like she had been tricked?
She was lost in thought when Lu Tingxiao suddenly leaned in towards her.But before he got close, he stopped halfway, then retreated a bit. He stretched out one hand to rub the top of her head. "No disturbances."
Ning Xi: "…"
You! Are! Disturbing! Me! Already!
She finally understood, this person didn’t need to do anything, his existence was a huge disturbance itself.
After Lu Tingxiao left, Ning Xi finally completely relaxed. She hugged a pillow in her arms and fell into a daze on the sofa, thinking about everything that had happened lately…
In the end, things had still come to this point. She had had a premonition, and she had also been prepared, but now that they were here, her brain was still blank and everything was a confused mess.
She gave her a score of zero for this appearance of hers!
Actually, she planned in the beginning to say some deliberately brutal things to make Lu Tingxiao give up on her. But when she looked at his face, she couldn't say a single word, and her originally resolute heart was starting to waver. What she had always thought would never happen, was slowly starting to change…
No wonder there had been incapable rulers in their history!
Beauty was dangerous!
Chapter 250: First Encounter
Next morning, in Lin Zhizhi’s office at Glory World Entertainment.
"Sister Zhizhi, I’m not late, am I?" Ning Xi had rested at her apartment the whole day yesterday, and was pretty much fully recovered. It was only that she still looked a little wan, so today she had chosen to wear a trendy outfit with a bold combination of colors to brighten her skin, making her look young and energetic.
In front of the desk in the office, Lin Zhizhi as usual did not have a single strand of hair out of place. She wore a suit jacket and an A-line skirt in cool colors, and was working on some documents. Seeing that Ning Xi had come, she sized her up first before raising her head. "No need to be nervous, it’s nothing important today, I just wanted to show you around the company before shooting starts tomorrow. Even if you normally won’t come to the company often, you still need to be familiar with the company’s basic department structure."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Zhizhi!"
"Let’s go."
Ning Xi nodded, and followed her out. With Lin Zhizhi’s guidance, she familiarized herself with each company department, and met a few of her new colleagues.
Whatever they thought inside, on the outside, everyone was polite to her.
Even though everyone tacitly understood that this was a battle between Glory World and Starlight, and Ning Xi was the company’s weapon in striking at Starlight, it was the undeniable truth that the company was prepared to nurture Ning Xi, so nobody wanted to court bad luck by harassing her during this critical period, when public opinion of her was flourishing.
"Tut, this Ning Xi is even better looking in person, no wonder Second Young Master likes her!"
"I have a feeling, as long as her EQ is not too low, she’ll definitely become a hit!"
"That’s hard to say! Leng Manyun just left, do you think people will allow her to make it big so easily? Anyway, do you think she and Lin Zhizhi will get along? Doesn’t Lin Zhizhi hate those type of actresses the most, the ones who rely on their good looks to climb their way up?"
…
The company was actually pretty big, and Ning Xi followed Lin Zhizhi for more than an hour before they completed the tour.
As they were about to take a look at the film sets and recording studios behind the company, they unexpectedly ran into someone in the corridor.
"Yo! Isn’t this our Big Manager Lin? Finally stopped becoming a hermit? I thought you wouldn’t be coming back to the industry after your setback!" The woman speaking was around thirty years old. She wore sexy and trendy clothes. Her hair was in big waves, and she had exquisite makeup on. She was dressed up even more magnificently than any star.
Because she often appeared in newspapers and magazines, and she had seen her from a distance on production sets several times before, Ning Xi instantly recognized that this was Su Yimo’s manager, Zhao Meixin.
Faced with Zhao Meixin’s provocative words, Lin Zhizhi’s eyebrows didn’t even twitch, and she said blandly, "With Sister Meixin still working hard, how can we youngsters slow down."
"You…"Zhao Meixin was pissed.
On the side, Ning Xi struggled not to laugh out loud. She hadn’t expected that Lin Zhizhi, who looked inflexible and severe, to have such a vicious tongue!
Zhao Meixin ground her teeth and hmphed coldly. "Lin Zhizhi, I didn't think you would do well to begin with, but I can’t not admit that you have some skill, being able to raise Leng Manyun that plain nobody up to such a high level. But now…"
Zhao Meixin deliberately paused, and glanced disdainfully at Ning Xi. "After Leng Manyun, you went and found yourself such a flower vase, who besides scandals and her looks, doesn’t have one good thing about her. I remember that you hate artistes who rely on their good looks the most. So? Have you fallen so low now?"
Chapter 251: Su Yimo’s Backer
Ning Xi narrowed her eyes slightly after hearing this.
This was already not the first time that she had heard other people say that Lin Zhizhi hated artistes like her.
It was impossible to say that she didn’t care.
After all, this was the person who would fight this battle with her in the future. If their beliefs were incompatible from the beginning, how would they be able to continue cooperating later?
Lin Zhizhi noticed the worry that flashed through Ning Xi’s eyes. She looked at Zhao Meixin, and said evenly, "It seems that Sister Meixin has misunderstood something about me. Everyone knows that being beautiful is a gift in this industry. It’s the golden meal ticket from God, the one thing other people can ask for but won’t get, why would I hate it?
"What I hate are the flower vases who have the looks but lack substance and professionalism.
"Everyone loves beautiful things, I’m sure Sister Meixin understands this point the best, right?"
After hearing this, Zhao Meixin’s expression changed. What she would understand the best?
This was obviously a jab at her!
She used to be an actress, but because she hadn’t been attractive enough, she had struggled to turn herself around to become a manager. She still cared a lot about her looks now, and often got facials and minor cosmetic operations done…
This damn Lin Zhizhi, either she didn't talk much, or everything she said were jabs into her flesh! It was really true that the dogs that don’t bark are the ones that bite the hardest!
"Are you so sure she isn’t just a flower vase?" Zhao Meixin laughed coldly.
"Whether she is or not will be demonstrated through her work, and not judged based on her looks, the way Sister Meixin has done." With that, Lin Zhizhi walked directly past her and left.
"You…"Behind them, Zhao Meixin stomped off in anger.
After that short encounter, all of the gloominess in Ning Xi’s heart was swept away, and she bounced happily after Lin Zhizhi.
"Sister Zhizhi, you were so cool just now! You give off such a safe feeling! But don't worry, I’m definitely not a flower vase, and even if I am, I am at the very least a blue-and-white porcelain vase with ocean waves, lucky clouds and dragon patterns on it from the Qing Qianlong dynasty. A co-existence of good looks and strength!"
Lin Zhizhi gave her a look, the corners of her mouth twitching imperceptibly. "You better practise what you preach. Filming starts tomorrow, when the time comes, I’ll accompany you there.
"Also, it won’t be just me, the production crew will open the set to the media, so there will be a lot of reporters.
"I’ve emailed you the latest script and shooting schedule. You also know, you have an important scene tomorrow, and it’ll really test your acting skills. This is your first battle, make sure you’re prepared for it!"
Actually, during this period, she had already studied Ning Xi’s résumé and works, and found that this girl’s acting was actually not bad, so she was looking forward to tomorrow’s scene…
"Got it, I will do my best!"
As she spoke, Ning Xi secretly looked Lin Zhizhi up and down. No matter how she looked, Lin Zhizhi appeared a very reliable person, and the more Ning Xi thought about it, the more she felt regret on her behalf. How could a woman like Sister Zhizhi fall for Jiang Muye, that unreliable, fickle golden retriever?
Because Lin Zhizhi was still busy with other things, Xiao Tao took Ning Xi around on the rest of the tour.
Xiao Tao was very lively, and talked non-stop. Ning Xi learned a lot of company gossip from her.
"Ai, when Sister Manyun left, Su Yimo and Zhao Meixin were the happiest about it, since they don't have any rivals anymore! Su Yimo is a bigger name than Sister Manyun, but look at what she’s acted in, they’re all trashy commercial films. Most of Sister Manyun’s movies might have been art films, but they received so many international awards because of them. She is simply in a class above Su Yimo, alright? But it can’t be helped, who asked Su Yimo’s backer to be so strong! She clearly doesn’t have the ability, but shamelessly holds the No.1 Actress title at Glory World!"
"Su Yimo’s backer is very strong?" Ning Xi asked.
"Of course! Sister Xi, you don't know?" Xiao Tao was astonished, then she sidled closer to whisper in her ear, "Su Yimo’s backer… is our CEO Lu!"
Chapter 252: High Energy Ahead! Torturing Single People Again!
"Of course! Sister Xi, you don't know?" Xiao Tao was astonished, then she sidled closer to whisper in her ear, "Su Yimo’s backer… is our Boss Lu!"
"CEO Lu? Don’t you mean Lu Jingli?" Ning Xi’s first thought was of Lu Jingli;it was obvious how little integrity Lu Jingli had in her heart…
Xiao Tao shook her head, then pointed her finger upward, meaning the person above Lu Jingli.
Now Ning Xi was really surprised, and she lifted an eyebrow. "Lu Tingxiao?"
Xiao Tao nodded vigorously, looked around, and said, "Not so loud… as long as you know about it!"
Ning Xi stroked her chin. "But why hasn’t anybody dropped this bomb? There’s not even a hint of it outside."
"Who wants to die, if they dare make noise about the Big Boss? So only people in the company know about this!" Xiao Tao explained.
.
"I see…"
Not waiting for Ning Xi to ask for more details, Xiao Tao already couldn’t hold herself back, and straightaway started telling her all the gossip. "At first, Su Yimo was just a second-tier, third-tier actress, there were so many bigger names above her. In the end, nobody knows how she hooked up with our Big Boss and obtained his favor. In a short while, all the company resources were presented to her to choose from, and she straightaway went up like a rocket…"
The more Xiao Tao spoke, the angrier she became. "Our Sister Manyun took ten years to get to where she is today, but ended up being overshadowed by her like that, it’s so unfair…"
Ning Xi listened to the way Xiao Tao described the rumors as if they were fact. She was sure that it was true, the only thing she didn't know was what kind of relationship Lu Tingxiao and Su Yimo had…
Though Xiao Tao hadn’t said it clearly, but from her tone, it sounded like they… had "slept together"?
But given her understanding of Lu Tingxiao, Ning Xi naturally couldn't believe all of Xiao Tao’s gossip.
Xiao Tao, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly realized that talking about someone else’s might wasn’t proper, so she rushed to comfort Ning Xi, "Cough, but Sister Xi, your backer is also very amazing, you were brought in by our Second Young Master after all!"
Though Xiao Tao said this, she still sounded a little disappointed.
She used to be Leng Manyun’s assistant, and this time had moved with Lin Zhizhi together to work with Ning Xi.
When she had been with Leng Manyun, everyone showed her respect, but Ning Xi was a nobody compared with Leng Manyun, and as her assistant now, thinking about how from now on, she would have to lower her head whenever she saw Su Yimo’s manager and assistant, it was hard to avoid the unfairness she felt in her heart.
There was no way Ning Xi could have missed the disappointment on Xiao Tao’s face, but Xiao Tao’s reaction was a normal one, so she didn't take it personally.
But, that thing with Su Yimo, she couldn’t let it pass that easily…
After all, during these seven important days, any tiny detail could affect her decision.
Consequently, since Ning Xi had no time to figure it out herself, she took her phone out directly and texted Lu Tingxiao—
[What is your relationship with Su Yimo?]
At the same time, Lu Corporation.
Lu Tingxiao was in a meeting when his cell phone suddenly beeped.
As he continued to listen to his subordinate’s report, Lu Tingxiao took a look at his phone.
Then, all the employees sitting in the meeting room witnessed something that only happened once every thousand years…
When their Lord Boss, who almost never smiled when he was at the company, looked at his phone, his face relaxed, and he let out a delighted laugh…
Chapter 253: I Am Your Private Backer
"Meeting adjourned."
With two words, Lu Tingxiao took up his phone and walked out of the meeting room.
Ning Xi was waiting for Lu Tingxiao to text her a reply, and was startled when he directly called her back instead.
Ning Xi let Xiao Tao know she was picking up a call, then hurriedly found an empty corner to do so.
"Hello…"
"I saw your text." Lu Tingxiao sounded happy.
Ning Xi picked at the ceramic tiles on the wall with her fingernail. "Oh."
When she had sent the text, she hadn’t thought anything about it, but why did she now feel that something was off?
"Jealous?" Lu Tingxiao’s low, rough voice came through the line.
"Cough cough cough cough cough…" Ning Xi was so alarmed by the word that she burst into furious coughing, then said angrily, "Who’s jealous! I was thinking that it was important to be clear about the relationships inside the company, so I just asked, that’s all!"
F***! No wonder she felt something was off! It looked like she was jealous!
"If it was just a random question, then I refuse to answer,"Lu Tingxiao said.
"Ha…?" Ning Xi was struck dumb. Never in a million years had she expected that Lu Tingxiao could actually be so childish. "Then what do you want, before you’ll tell me?"
Lu Tingxiao: "Recall my question."
Which question? About being jealous?
Actually…
When she heard Xiao Tao guessing that it was an intimate relationship, and she thought about Lu Tingxiao with another woman, in her heart, she had in fact felt a little uncomfortable…
But how could she admit that!
So Ning Xi said casually, "Forget it, if you don't want to answer, I’ll just believe that you’re sleeping with Su Yimo. Just that can directly send your score down to zero!"
Lu Tingxiao sighed, and helplessly compromised. "Don’t worry, there’s nothing between us, you don't need to be concerned with her in the company."
"Then why do people say that you are her backer? And all the resources she had, didn't you ask people to give them to her?" Ning Xi didn’t understand.
"I am your private backer," Lu Tingxiao answered.
Her face hot, Ning Xi immediately said seriously, "Answer the question! Don't mess around!"
Lu Tingxiao laughed. "Heh…"
"And no laughing!"
Lu Tingxiao finally stopped teasing her, and coughed softly. "I did give the order, but I had nothing to do with it after that. The reason I gave that order was because you could say that she saved Little Treasure’s life once."
"What? What happened to Little Treasure?" Ning Xi instantly became anxious as she asked.
"Before, in order for him to socialize more, I tried sending him to school. In the end, he lost control of his emotions and ran outside, and almost got hit by a car. Fortunately, another car at that time suddenly rushed out and hit that car, saving Little Treasure’s life. The person driving that car was Su Yimo. She had been driving drunk, which was why her car had rushed out like that. So through a strange combination of events, she saved Little Treasure’s life…"
Ning Xi was struck dumb by each thing that she heard. "Sheet! I really don’t know who was the lucky one, Little Treasure or Su Yimo! So to repay her, you gave that order?"
She could understand why Lu Tingxiao had done it. Even if she had saved Little Treasure by accident and not by design, she had still saved him.
"Yes."
"Tch, she actually really saved Little Treasure’s life! That time, why didn't you repay her with yourself?"
Lu Tingxiao killed her with one stroke: "Do you think I would do that for just anyone?"
Chapter 254: What’s My Score Now?
As if that wasn’t enough, Lu Tingxiao gave her yet another cold-blooded stab: "What’s my score now?"
"How can I tell you that! You think I’m dumb? I’m hanging up! My assistant’s waiting for me!" Ning Xi hung up quickly.
She was pathetic! As expected, she shouldn't have any contact with Lu Tingxiao for now!
On his end, when Lu Tingxiao finished speaking to Ning Xi on the phone, the smile on his face still hadn’t faded. Suddenly on the side, a big face popped into view, complaining bitterly —
"Brother~ tell me~~ are you hiding something from me?"
Lu Tingxiao didn't deny it, and lifted an eyebrow, "That obvious?"
Lu Jingli was struck a blow, and he almost lay down to roll around on the floor. "Argh, you really are keeping something from me! I’m your brother, your best right-hand man, your warm jacket! How can you hide things from me!"
"Aren’t you very good at guessing?"
"Huh! Fine, I’ll guess, then!" Lu Jingli paced back and forth in the room. After three minutes, he stopped abruptly, and looked in Lu Tingxiao’s direction. "The day before yesterday, you deliberately sent Little Treasure away. At that time, that was two days before Ning Xi would start work, and she would be busy getting ready for it, which meant that you didn't have much time either, so these two days, you would definitely do something big! Something big… don’t tell me it was a confession?"
Lu Tingxiao: "Go on."
Did that mean he had guessed right?
Lu Jingli’s eyes lit up, and he continued guessing: "The result? Most likely you failed! Otherwise how could you still be at the company, you would definitely be in bed…"
Lu Tingxiao: "…"
In the end, Lu Jingli made a finger gun at him, and concluded confidently, "There can only be one truth! You confessed, Xiao Xi Xi didn't accept it, but she didn't reject you either, and she’s thinking about it. Furthermore, the possibility at the moment that she will give you a positive reply is very high! That’s why you’re in such a good mood!"
Lu Tingxiao looked at his little brother’s glowing face, and the corners of his mouth twitched with imperceptible gentleness…
He had an aloof personality and was bad at getting along with people; even his emotional connection to his own biological parents was very thin. The only exception was this little brother. When other people avoided him and were afraid of him, only his little brother would follow him around the whole time; he never cared or got angry that Lu Tingxiao, who always had a cold face on; he went right on making his own guesses since Lu Tingxiao didn't like talking, and when it came to Lu Tingxiao, he always guessed right…
Lu Tingxiao already felt that he was blessed, and had never expected that destiny would also allow him to encounter Ning Xi…
Next day.
From mid-summer to early autumn, after experiencing so many ups and downs, the production crew of <The World> was finally about to start shooting again.
Because of changes to the script, Ning Xueluo and Zhao Sizhou had much fewer scenes, and the three remaining fight scenes which Ning Xueluo and Ning Xi had yet to shoot had also been taken out, meaning that from now on, Ning Xi would no longer encounter Ning Xueluo on set. That was a huge weight off Ning Xi’s shoulders, and she could finally focus on her acting.
Today they would mainly be filming two climatic scenes with Ning Xi and Jiang Muye. It wasn’t just Ning Xi’s manager Lin Zhizhi who had come, Jiang Muye’s manager Lei Ming had also made an appearance, which was telling of how important these two scenes were.
Ning Xi and Jiang Muye arrived at almost the same time.
"Hello, Senior Brother Jiang~" Ning Xi greeted him sweetly, obediently changing her address of him from "Senior Jiang" to "Senior Brother Jiang."
"Mm, hello, Junior Sister!" Seeing Ning Xi act like a good little girl gave Jiang Muye goose bumps, and he shuddered.
After that, his gaze swept carelessly over the person standing next to Ning Xi, Lin Zhizhi…
Chapter 255: Who Said She’s My Ex-Girlfriend
Lin Zhizhi was speaking to Lei Ming, and took no notice of Jiang Muye’s gaze at all. When she was done, she turned to Ning Xi. "Ning Xi, I have some things to discuss with Brother Ming, please go through your scenes with your Senior Brother."
"Okay, Sister Zhizhi, you go ahead~""
As soon as she had obediently sent Lin Zhizhi off, Ning Xi instantly returned to her demon self, and she looked at Jiang Muye mockingly. "Tut tut tut, golden retriever, see it, did you see it just not? After I found out that Sister Zhizhi was your ex-girlfriend, for a long time I felt so sad and regretful for her. I was worried when the two of you met, she would be embarrassed. In the end, our Sister Zhizhi didn’t even spare you a glance! So cool! I’m really liking her more and more!"
Jiang Muye ground his teeth and stared at her angrily. "Who the hell told you that she’s my ex-girlfriend?"
Ning Xi blinked at him. "Didn’t you say it yourself?"
"F*** off! I never said anything like that, you made it up yourself!"
"Who asked you to have such an easily misunderstood expression…" Ning Xi grumbled. After that, she became even more curious. "Even if she’s not your ex-girlfriend, what on earth happened between the two of you? Why are you so tense around her?"
"When have I ever been tense around her? Ning Xiao Xi, can you stop imagining nonsense!" Jiang Muye was tormented almost to the point of collapse.
In order to get the truth out of him, Ning Xi used a gentler, placating tone. "Okay, okay, I’ll stop imagining things, so tell me yourself! What on earth happened?"
"What else could have happened? She just used to manage me, that’s all!" Jiang Muye flipped through the script in his hand crossly.
Ning Xi was stunned, and widened her eyes. "No way, Sister Zhizhi managed you? She was your manager?"
Jiang Muye gave her a disdainful look. "What, got a problem with that?" What was that expression on her face?
Ning Xi shook her head, and sighed, "That is even more pitiful than being your ex-girlfriend…"
Jiang Muye’s wild personality was well-known in the industry; none of the assistants that worked for him had lasted over a week.
The reason why Lei Ming this manager hadn’t been switched out after so long was because, despite his burly appearance which made him look a little fierce, he had a very good character and was very patient, and so was able to work with Jiang Muye for this long.
Ning Xi felt relieved knowing that Lin Zhizhi and Jiang Muye hadn’t been involved in that way, otherwise if something went wrong in this love triangle, it would be very easy for things to become awkward between the three of them.
At this time, Xiao Tao had someone bring over a super luxurious deck chair. "Sister Xi, use this!"
On set, only the male and female leads or the actors with a higher status could enjoy this privilege. Ning Xi used to sit on a little wooden stool in a corner, or on a normal chair at the most. She never expected that she would one day actually experience this kind of treatment…
"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Tao!" Ning Xi said gratefully.
Even though Xiao Tao had been feeling sorry for herself since Leng Manyun left the industry, and she was also not satisfied with her lot in life at the moment, she was still dedicated to her work.
"Want to run some lines?" Ning Xi raised her script and asked, determined to carry out her Lord Manager’s orders.
"Run lines my ass! I didn't sleep the whole night! I need a nap! Leave me alone!" Jiang Muye covered his face with his script and promptly when to sleep.
"…"Ning Xi silently lit a candle for Lei Ming, and after that, rejoiced for Lin Zhizhi, who had already luckily escaped from this abyss of suffering.
Chapter 256: I Am Your Man
Even when getting makeup done, Jiang Muye had his eyes closed, and he slept all the way to the start of filming.
Director Guo was already calling for everyone to take their places, and he was still sleeping. Ning Xi couldn’t take it anymore, and kicked his chair.
Only then did Jiang Muye slowly wake up.
Today, they would be shooting a fight scene from a battle.
Meng Changge’s elder brother had been killed by the incompetent Emperor and the enabling Princess Xian. Little overlord Meng Changge grew up overnight, put on armor, and entered the battlefield, hence starting her long military career…
The general’s mansion had undergone a huge transformation, and Changan City no longer had a little overlord.
After Meng Changge left, Sun Huanqing finally realized his feelings for her, and resolutely followed Meng Changge onto the battlefield, becoming a military doctor.
Normally, a film was shot in order of which backlot the crew was currently on, not according to the development of the story itself. Therefore, they jumped a whole seven years to today’s scene, when Meng Changge had made a name for herself through her oustanding military achievements, even surpassing her father and elder brother’s accomplishments.
Incited by his treacherous ministers and Princess Xian, the Emperor had started to fear Meng Changge. He had demanded that she relinquish control of the military, and in order to restrain her, had also arranged her marriage to the incompetent twelfth prince.
Naturally, Meng Changge would rather die first.
And so, during a battle, she encountered the same fate that had befallen her elder brother; she wasn’t defeated by the enemy, but set up by her own people.
They lacked supplies, and no reinforcements arrived. After a while, they fell into despair…
Finally, the ultimate battle for life was at hand.
On set, all the staff members were in their places, and the reporters who had been previously invited had all arrived.
No one was more nervous than Director Guo Qisheng. If anything went wrong again this time, he would really bang his head to death!
Naturally, he wasn't worried about Ning Xi, but earlier, just as they were about to start, he had seen Jiang Muye still sleeping, as if his condition wasn’t very good. It was really stressing him out, ai!
"Okay! Ready, set! Action —"
After Guo Qisheng yelled "action", Ning Xi, who at the last second had still been discussing with Xiao Tao what to eat for lunch, instantly transformed.
Dead bodies littered the battlefield; only half of her men were left. Meng Changge was covered in blood; her eyes were scarlet and her face was murderous. She was a weapon on the move: meet god, kill god; meet Buddha, kill Buddha.
The moment when her strength almost failed her, and she was attacked from behind,, suddenly, the thin figure of a man in blue rushed over as he shouted in warning —
"Changge! Watch out —"
Only with the man’s warning was Meng Changge able to avoid the sneak attack, but when she saw who it was, she was instantly furious. With one bloody hand, she grabbed the man by his collar: "You’re in the way, who said you could be here?! Leave!!!"
Sun Huanqing didn’t move. "I’m not leaving! If you die, I die!"
Meng Changge flung him back hard, her face full of ridicule and disdain: "If I tell you to leave, you leave! A pretty boy without even the strength to truss up a chicken, what makes you think you are qualified to die with me!"
Sun Huanqing stood up from the mud and sand, and with a flash of a silver needle, he slit a man’s throat open, blood splattering his fair skin; at this moment, he didn’t have the compassionate eyes of a doctor, only a cold, killing intent —
"How about now?" he asked, looking stubborn and determined.
Meng Changge turned her head away, a struggle on her face.
At that instant, countless, complicated emotions flashed across Ning Xi’s face. At last, she sighed heavily, "You… forget it, do as you like… but don’t expect me to protect you!"
Jiang Muye stretched out a hand to gently wipe away the blood on Ning Xi’s face. His expression was tender and loving, and on a battlefield of smoke and blood, it was like a blossoming white lotus. "Changge, I am your man, I should be the one protecting you."
Chapter 257: Abnormal Skill
"Cut —"
In one take!!!
Everyone watching burst into applause; the reporters looked like they were about to clap their hands off.
This scene was an action scene and also an emotional one, so it could be said to be very complex. Absolutely nobody expected it to be completed in one take, so everyone was very pleased and surprised.
"God! Jiang Muye was just so cool! I thought acting as a weak doctor this time would ruin his image! In the end, it was such a surprise!"
"That’s right, that’s right! Jiang Muye’s broken out of his stereotypical roles! I also feel that his acting this time has progressed a lot! I don't care about the male lead anymore, I only want to see more scenes of my Doctor Sun!"
"Especially his last line just now, ‘I am your man’. Don’t you think that was too moving? So deep with emotion!"
"Me too, I feel the same. Before, when he said similar lines to other actresses in emotional scenes like this, I always felt something was missing. Now I finally understand, it’s feeling! Jiang Muye this time was acting with feeling!"
…
Nearby, Guo Qisheng was so excited he was about to cry, and he hugged his assistant director.
So touched!
He never expected things to go this smoothly! The response from the reporters was also especially good!
It was a brilliant start!
In the lounge.
Pleased with himself, Jiang Muye hmphed. "See? I told you there wouldn’t be a problem! All of you were worried for nothing!"
Ning Xi tutted disdainfully. "That was because your partner was this big sister. If it was someone else, with your sheetty condition today, you don’t believe you wouldn’t have NG-ed at least twenty times?"
"Stop flattering yourself! If it was someone else… NG nineteen times at the most!"Jiang Muye said carelessly.
Of course he knew it was because his partner was Ning Xi, which was the only reason why he could act without worry! He wasn’t stupid!
Ning Xi’s strongest ability wasn’t just pressure acting, she was also able to instantly bring her partner into the story, and getting them to pass in one take.
"Tch, Ning Xiao Xi, this skill of yours is really abnormal…"
"You’re the perverted one!"
…
As they were trading insults, Lei Ming and Lin Zhizhi walked in.
Lei Ming was very excited, and he happily poured Jiang Muye a drink and gave him some snacks. "Not bad, not bad, you did great today, Muye! Totally exceeded my expectations! You must keep this up!"
Seeing how Muye was being praised, Ning Xi wasn’t happy, and she looked at Lin Zhizhi like a cheeky kid who wanted candy. "Sister Zhizhi, what about me, what about me?"
Lin Zhizhi wasn't as excited as Lei Ming, but was obviously very satisfied. "Very nicely done, but don't get cocky, the next scene is the most important one for you."
"Understood!" Ning Xi was already more than happy to get a "very nicely done".
Nearby, Jiang Muye gave Lin Zhizhi a sideway glance before turning his head away to mutter, "Who would have thought, after all these years, the tigress would turn gentle! You were never this gentle with me!"
At this time, Lin Zhizhi finally looked at him, and said emotionlessly, "Put yourself in my shoes, if you were me, would you be able to be gentle with yourself?"
"…"Jiang Muye choked.
F***! Had he really been that much of an asshole back then?
Seemed like… he had been pretty bad… and he was still an asshole now…
After thinking about it carefully, if he was Lin Zhizhi, he would really want to punch himself…
At this moment, the reporters outside were all anxious to interview Ning Xi and Jiang Muye, but were stopped by the director, who told them that they would be given enough time to do interviews after shooting was done, so everyone quietened down after that…
…
The word bian tai ‘变态’ in Chinese can mean both abnormal and perverted.
Chapter 258: How The Enchantress Was Forged
After a break, shooting for the second scene began.
Why was this scene the highlight?
It was the most torturous scene, and the climax in the whole movie, the important turning point for Meng Changge entering the palace for revenge.
This was a crucial turning point, which directly set up Meng Changge’s character as well as the audience’s perception of her for the second half of the movie.
Because of the huge disparity in strength between the two armies, Meng Changge had still lost this battle.
She had watched with her own eyes her right-hand man, who had been through fire and water with her, go down under an enemy’s horse, his neck broke; she had watched with her own eyes her beloved little brother beheaded by the enemy, his head raised on the tip of a sword as an insult…
She had been separated from Sun Huanqing in the middle of the battle, and by the time she found him, she saw him pierced through by the enemies’ arrows…
She hadn’t even been able to bid him goodbye…
"Huanqing —"
The last string in Meng Changge’s heart snapped completely; broken, she dashed over, rolling and crawling.
She slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the body full of arrows in her arms, before screaming in utter despair…
Tears streamed down her cheeks, creating two wet trails through the blood which covered her face…
Everyone jolted with shock at Ning Xi’s sudden outburst; they had all been brought into the story, their minds and hearts fully engaged.
In the next second, Meng Changge picked up her sword, and fought wildly with the rest of the enemy.
Though the enemy outnumbered her, they were weak before her demonic fury, and she slaughtered almost a hundred of them single-handedly…
Ning Xi didn't use a stunt double, and acted the fight scenes herself. Her emotions were on point and her movements beautiful, and she exuded an exquisitely tragic air.
After the battle was over, she was the only living person left on the vast battlefield.
The entire battlefield was covered with blood and layer on layer of dead bodies, and the enemy’s broken flag fluttered in the wind…
Tottering, Meng Changge clutched at her chest before falling to her knees. She gasped for breath, her spirit weary and her strength exhausted.
After her extreme sorrow and rage were spent, she gently lifted her beloved’s head so that it rested on her knees, and cleaned off the dirt on his face with an emotionless expression.
This moment of silence was for post-editing to put together a series of images depicting memories of the two of them, but Ning Xi’s expression was enough to touch the audience even without images of the memories. The silence also wasn’t obtrusive, but made everyone follow the subtle changes in her expression as she recalled all the little details of her and Sun Huanqing together from the moment they met…
Shortly after, the memories ended.
Meng Changge’s eyes were empty as she stared into the distance —
That look crossed the battlefield, the snow mountains and grasslands, and over an endless desert, to a flourishing capital city. It flew over the palace walls into a palace hall full of artifice and treachery, and wandered into the golden palace of rotten pleasures, coming to rest at last on a corrupted emperor and his evil consort…
As if a strong gust of wind rife with the smell of blood had blown by, she lifted her chin and closed her eyes.
Gradually, the corners of her rosy, blood-red lips lifted unhurriedly, like peach blossoms flowering in winter.
Mystical, and extremely beautiful.
A smile that could level cities.
In the next second, that general who had protected families and guarded the country had already died. Born in her place was an enchantress who would destroy a nation and its people.
Generations of the Meng Family had been loyal to the country: her father, her three elder brothers, her youngest little brother, the love of her life — they had all died on the battlefield, while the emperor that she had dedicated her service to, the people that she fought to protect, were forcing her step by step towards her death…
This family, this country, this world, why did it deserve her protection?
If that was the case, then… let it all come to ruin!
Chapter 259: Simply A Beast
All the deep and resounding grief, the pain and hatred that wouldn’t fade — with just one sinister smile, Ning Xi was able to convey it all.
This time, everyone was utterly silent.
Until the end of the shoot, no one dared to make a sound, not even to breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing that sad, beautiful soul.
There were even a number of people whose eyes had turned red, and their tears fell without them realizing it.
It wasn't until Director Guo Qisheng signaled that filming had ended and the site started to clear that everyone suddenly came back to their senses, and recovered from the sorrow.
"Holy sheet, I actually cried while watching the scene!"
"Wah wah, so did I, so did I! My heart felt so heavy! Doctor Sun! My Doctor Sun actually died!"
"Ning Xi’s acting is just. Too. Awesome! I realize now, that extras clip they released was just a drop in the bucket! And I finally understand why Guo Qisheng stood his ground and insisted on using her!"
"Why isn’t Ning Xi the female lead? Compared with the endlessly virtuous and moral female lead, Shangguang Yingrong, Meng Changge this character is much more profound!"
…
In the dressing room, the pain and murderous aura around Ning Xi hadn’t faded after her makeup had been removed, to the extent that Xiao Tao, who brought her lunch, didn’t dare approach her.
At this moment, Jiang Muye pushed the door open and entered. Used to the situation, he said, "Leave the food here, and leave her alone, she’ll be fine after a while."
"Oh." Only then did Xiao Tao put down the boxed lunch and scurry off, still a little frightened. Ning Xi’s appearance just now was really terrifying, as if she had been possessed.
About five minutes later, Ning Xi got rid of her possessed state, and quickly came back to her senses.
She stretched, twisted her neck, and complained, "F***! I went too deep this time, I almost couldn’t come back!"
Jiang Muye looked askance at her with a black face. "Can’t you be content? Other people who want to act at your level would need at least several months to come back! Some might even go crazy with it! But for you, you came back in less than an hour, what more do you want? You beast!"
Because he had been "dead" the whole time in the scene just now, he didn’t know how Ning Xi had done. When he especially went to watch the playback, he had been completely stunned!
He almost felt Ning Xi’s love for him, as deep as the ocean and which would last forever!
"Hm, where’s my Sister Zhizhi? I haven't asked Sister Zhizhi about her evaluation of me!" Ning Xi panicked.
As soon as she said it, Lin Zhizhi pushed the door open just then and came in. She was looking at her watch, and she said with a rushed expression, "Ning Xi, I’m going back to the company in the afternoon, will you be okay by yourself?"
"Ah? So you’re leaving!" Ning Xi was a little disappointed.
"Because I’m already not needed here," Ling Zhizhi said with a rare smile.
Hearing her words, Ning Xi was completely refreshed on the spot; this was undoubtedly the greatest affirmation of her skills and the greatest trust Sister Zhizhi had in her!
"Then go ahead, go ahead! I’ll be fine myself. I’ll be good!"
"Mm, if there’s anything, contact me anytime."
"Okay, I’ll walk you out!"
…
After Ning Xi walked Ling Zhizhi out and returned with a spring in her step, Jiang Muye looked at her disdainfully. "Look at your smarmy behavior!"
Ning Xi returned his disdainful look. "Hmph, you’re just jealous that my relationship with Sister Zhizhi is so good! As a matter of fact, I need to thank you. It’s because she had to endure scum like you, that Sister Zhizhi cherishes me this obedient baby more."
Jiang Muye sneered coldly, his expression saying that she was just too simple and naive. "Go ahead and be pleased with yourself! You’re going to have a difficult time in the future! Do you think that woman is easygoing? When the time comes and you’re tormented until you start crying for your parents, don’t say I didn’t warn you!"
Chapter 260: Ning Xi’s Criteria for A Spouse
The completion of the two main scenes was meant to take the whole day today, but because they were completed in one take, they wrapped up within half a day.
Therefore, there was more than enough time for interviews in the afternoon.
Ning Xi and Jiang Muye had a good dynamic, and they basically answered all the questions they were asked. The reporters also gave them face, and didn’t bring up any sensitive topics.
Seeing that the atmosphere was very good, and after interviewing them about the movie, the reporters began to tentatively ask some personal questions.
Reporter: "Muye, I have a question which seems to be asked every time. I can’t avoid asking it, and I also want to ask once: what type of girl do you like? In reality, would you like a stronger and more active girl like Meng Changge?"
Jiang Muye cupped his chin in one hand, and thought for a bit. "I used to like the type that are like cute little birds, but as I’ve gotten older, I feel that an active and strong girl like Meng Changge is very brave and also very real."
After asking Jiang Muye, the reporter naturally turned to Ning Xi: "Then Ning Xi, what kind of man do you like in reality? Or, what is your criteria for choosing a spouse? Mind telling us a little bit?"
Ning Xi’s head hurt a bit, because such a conventional question was actually very difficult for her.
She never wanted to get married, and had never thought about finding a spouse, how would she have criteria for that?
But the instant the reporter had asked the question, the figure that had flashed through her mind for one quick second was…
Ning Xi shook her head, and concentrated on answering the reporter’s question.
"My criteria for a spouse are that he should be the same age as me, and share common interests and views!" Luckily she had prepared for this question, so she was able to reply appropriately.
Mm, this answer was not perfunctory, and it was also very reasonable, they shouldn’t be able to find any fault with it.
But at this moment, a female reporter said excitedly, "In that case, our Muye meets at least two of your criteria! The first, Muye and you are of a similar age, and the third, you are both actors, so you should share the same views! As for the second, although at present we don’t know whether your interests are the same, since two of the three are already the same, the possibility that you share the same interests is very high!"
Ning Xi curled her lips and swatted the topic aside. "Hehe, actually there are many who meet this criteria! It is all up to fate!"
Beside her, Jiang Muye also cracked a joke to head the topic off, and deliberately said, "Don’t listen to her explanation, it’s just a cover-up. She is actually using me her Senior Brother as her standard for a spouse!"
Ning Xi played along and said, "Senior Brother, do your fans know how narcissistic you are?"
…
Two hours later, the interview was over.
Although the two gripping scenes which the reporters had seen today couldn't be released since it contained plot spoilers, it was fine to release a few clips and extras.
Also, the interview had gone very smoothly, and had been rich in content. Ning Xi and Jiang Muye had a good dynamic in and outside of the movie. There was plenty to write about or broadcast, and all the reporters left feeling satisfied.
After the reporters left, Ning Xi stretched. "I’m so tired! Today’s battle has been successfully won! I'm going back to the hotel to sleep!"
Jiang Muye glanced at her. "Hotel? Why are you staying in a hotel?"
Ning Xi flipped through the thick script, and sighed. "It’s not like you don’t know how important my part is going to be later on, and I have quite a few night scenes. Running back and forth consumes too much energy, so I discussed it with Sister Zhizhi. During this period, I’ll be living with the production crew."